Newly Minted First Half Champs Host Lake Elsinore Storm

GIANTS HOST STORM THIS WEEK: The defending California League champion San Jose Giants host the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres affiliate) in a six-game series this week at Excite Ballpark. The Giants enter the week having won six of their last seven games and 12 of 16. This series marks the first meeting of the season between the Giants and Storm. The first half of the California League regular season concludes on Thursday. Friday marks the beginning of the 66-game second half.

FIRST HALF CHAMPS: Last week, the Giants clinched the first half North Division title and secured a berth in the California League playoffs. San Jose enters this week with a league-best 37-26 record. The Giants are four games ahead of the second place Fresno Grizzlies in the North Division with only three games remaining in the first half. San Jose secured the first half crown with their 14-9 victory in Stockton last Friday. It’s the seventh consecutive season (2019, 2021-26) that the Giants have reached the playoffs and the third time in the last four years (2023, 2025-26) winning the first half. San Jose was 25-22 and two games behind Fresno in the standings on May 27 before winning 11 of their next 14 to take the division crown.

PLAYOFF SCHEDULE: The schedule for the best-of-three North Division Series…

Game 1 – Tuesday, September 8 – Road Game
Game 2 – Thursday, September 10 – at Excite Ballpark
Game 3 – Friday, September 11 – at Excite Ballpark (if necessary)

The Giants will play the second half winner in the North Division. If the Giants were to also win the second half, San Jose’s opponent would be the North Division team with the next-best second half record. Division Series winners play in the best-of three California League Championship Series beginning on Sunday, September 13. The Giants will attempt to become the first Cal League team to repeat as champions since San Jose’s back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010.

BANNER WEEK IN STOCKTON: The Giants enjoyed a banner series at the plate during their final road trip of the first half last week in Stockton. San Jose won five of six games in the series scoring a total of 61 runs (10.2 per game) and hitting 15 homers. The highlight of the week was a three-game stretch last Wednesday through Friday that saw the Giants score an incredible 51 runs. San Jose produced a season-high 21 hits in their 15-5 win over the Ports last Wednesday before matching a single-game team-record in runs scored with a 22-9 victory in Thursday’s contest (also 22 runs on 7/27/88 at Modesto). The Giants followed their record-tying effort with a 14-9 win the next night to clinch the first half in the North Division. Individually, Jose Astudillo was named California League Player of the Week after going 10-for-23 (.435 AVG) with three doubles, three home runs and 10 RBI’s during the Stockton series. Other Giants offensive standouts last week included Damian Bravo (9-for-23, .391 AVG, 3 2B, 3 HR, 11 RBI), Cam Maldonado (10-for-29, .345 AVG, 2 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 8 RBI) and Isaiah Barkett (9-for-26, .346 AVG, 5 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI).

REYNOSO’S HITTING STREAK: Dario Reynoso brings a 13-game hitting streak into this week’s series against Lake Elsinore. It matches the longest hit streak by a Giants player this season (Andy Polanco). During his current hit streak, which dates back to May 30, Reynoso is batting .392 (20-for-51) with four doubles, four home runs and 11 RBI’s. Reynoso is eighth in the California League in batting average (.319), tied for eighth in home runs (9), fourth in on base percentage (.432) and fourth in OPS (.992). He’s collected 29 RBI’s over his last 32 games.

RECORD-SETTING PACE: It’s been an outstanding first half at the plate for San Jose as the Giants continue to rank among the league leaders in several key offensive categories. The Giants’ current average of 7.0 runs per game is second in the Cal League and would establish a new team single-season record. Last year’s championship San Jose team holds the current record at 6.1 runs per game. The Giants also enter this week leading the league in batting average (.286) while also ranking second in home runs (79), second in doubles (138), third in stolen bases (93) and are also tied for the fewest strikeouts. San Jose has scored 10 or more runs in a whopping 25 percent of their games this season (16 of 63).

PITCHING IN: The Giants have seen notable month-by-month improvement on the mound during the first half. San Jose’s team ERA in April of 5.78 ranked fifth in the California League before a 4.94 ERA in May that ranked third. Thus far in June, the Giants boast a 4.08 team ERA that leads the league. Keyner Martinez, who gets the ball on Tuesday this week, has not allowed an earned run over his last two starts amassing 17 strikeouts in nine total innings. Also of note, the Giants bullpen had a combined 6.07 ERA in April and May, but has fashioned a 2.61 ERA thus far in June.

ROUND-TRIPPERS: The Giants have hit 79 home runs through their first 63 games this season, which puts the club on a pace to hit 166 for the year. The team record for home runs in a single season is 150, set by the 2021 championship club. Individually, five of the top 14 players on the Cal League home run leaderboard play for the Giants – Cam Maldonado (T2nd, 11 HR), Damian Bravo (T4th, 10 HR), Jhonny Level (T4th, 10 HR – promoted to High-A Eugene on June 2), Hayden Jatczak (T8th, 9 HR) and Dario Reynoso (T8th, 9 HR).

ON DECK: Following the current series against Lake Elsinore, the Giants travel to Southern California to play a six-game set at Inland Empire next week. San Jose returns to Excite Ballpark on Tuesday, June 30 for a series versus the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.